Maine Medical Center values the CNAs employed throughout the hospital. CNAs are caregivers who provide patients assistance with activities of daily living and basic needs. They also help patients feel safe and comfortable throughout their hospitalization. These direct caregivers spend most of their time assisting patients and listening to their concerns.

Maine Medical Center offers a Certified Nursing Assistant course, which includes classroom work, skills labs, and clinical experience. The course is an 11- week, daytime course of 180 hours. MMC covers the cost of the course and the books. At the end of the course, the students take the State Certification Examination.

The course is sponsored by MMC's Center for Clinical and Professional Development and Portland Adult Education.

The course covers:

Age-specific care through the lifespan

Safe patient care delivery

Infection control principles and practices

Body mechanics and mobility skills

Communication skills

Assisting with activities of daily living

Nutrition and assisting patients with meeting nutritional needs

Common health problems and nurse assistant care

CPR and Basic Life Support (BLS)

In skills labs, students practice taking vital signs, assisting with patient mobility, and patient hygiene skills. The clinical experience allows students to work with patients on nursing units at MMC.

The next Information Session for our September 2015 class will be held at the Dana Center Auditorium in June. Please return to this site for exact date which will be posted in late April. Bring to the Information Session a completed application and all required paperwork. The TABE test (a reading comprehension test) will be administered during the Information Session. You must receive a score of 11 to 12.9 to be able to submit an application to the CNA program. Applicants to the CNA Program can take the TABE test only once during a year (a year from the date of that last TABE test taken). Youmust attend the information session and bring a completed application in order to be considered for the class.

Please Note: A person cannot be a CNA in Maine if he/she has been convicted of theft or abuse in a health care setting, sexual abuse, or a crime for which one could have received a 3-year sentence. If you have questions about this, please contact the Maine CNA Registry at 1-800-791-4080, or visit their website at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/dlrs